


Letters

by certifiedrecycling



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: ADHD, AU, Angst, Fluff, Gay, M/M, Oblivious Jeremy, One Shot, Pining Michael, Romance, boyf riends - Freeform, headcanons, jer and michael like musicals, jer has it, jeremys mom is a jerk, richjake, sorta - Freeform, they are dorks, u cant change my mind, verbal abuse (implied)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 08:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19764820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/certifiedrecycling/pseuds/certifiedrecycling
Summary: Michael and Jeremy sent (or gave) letters to each other throughout their childhood. It was easier than speaking. You didn’t have to stutter or fidget. And you could say a lot more on paper.note: please read the beginning note; its kinda important to the formatting





	Letters

**Author's Note:**

> hi yall! welcome to my first posted fanfic! this is all written around that one michael scene where he’s writing a letter in 8th grade because i thought the idea was cute. it may not make sense but i find enjoyment in it.
> 
> theres richjake if you squint, and i suck at romance sO
> 
> also, this was lowkey an excuse to feature my trash headcanons-
> 
> enjoy!
> 
> NOTE: AO3 messed up the formatting to a point where im mentally dying, i have tried to do this close to 10 times so we can assume ive given up. Perks of uploading on an iPad. Just know most of the things are memories (the dialogue sections should be italics, same with the letters themselves) Thank you, good night/morning/afternoon

When Michael heard there was a new boy moving into his neighborhood, the same age as him, he was ecstatic. He didn’t have to play with Connor, the 2nd grader who cheated to win at Super Smash Bros. He didn’t have to play with his toys, all by himself, as his mom’s figured out the situation for schooling, since he was going to be in kindergarten in 2 months. Now there was a new kid, a new boy who could be his friend.  
Michael was excited.  
“Now, Michael,” His moms would always say, tapping the kitchen counter while staring down at him, “The new boy is probably very busy moving in, so we should give it a little more time before introducing ourselves.” Michael soon grew tired of the endless answers as the weeks passed. He didn’t remember taking so long to move into his house. But his parents wouldn’t budge.  
So Michael did the one thing he could.  
He wrote a letter.  
He sat on the kitchen table, wiggling the loose chair side to side, red crayon in his right hand, left pressing down the lined paper he got from his moms’ office.  
Michael knew every good letter started with “Dear”, and then the person’s name. He didn’t know what the kids’ name was, so he improvised.  
Dear New Kid, he wrote, his hand shaking, before realising that his work looked like a garbled mess, and the new kid would certainly not be able to read it. He didn’t exactly know how to write, either, so he deemed it a worthless cause, at least until coming up with a new solution.  
He asked his mom when she got home from work. She seemed okay with it, so they sat at the dinner table, and Michael got to talk and smile while his mom wrote down everything in her neat, slightly slanted, handwriting. His other mom, who he called Ina, came home from work as they finished, and smiled as she set her bag down and began to cook dinner.

_Dear New Kid,  
Hi! My name is Michael Mell, and I’m your new neighbor! I am 4 years old and going into kindergarten in the fall. I like video games, toys, and listening to music. I’m really happy to see a boy my age in my neighborhood, so maybe we could hang out sometime?  
~ Michael Mell, 45 Gage Lane ___

__Michael’s mom had changed a few things (Michael had wanted a section about where he was born [Manila, Philippines], along with other details), but Michael couldn’t read either, so she found it okay.  
After dinner, Ina gave Michael the green light to run to the new kids house and stick his new letter in the mailbox. Michael noticed the house was a bright baby blue, almost white. He carefully put his letter in the mail, and brought the little red flag up so the family would know.  
A little boy stuck his head out of the curtain on the 2nd floor, staring at Michael curiously. Michael waved, and the boy smiled slightly before drawing the curtain and leaving Michael to run all the way back home.  
Two days later, Michael opened the door to see the little boy, his father, and his mother. The boy introduced himself as Jeremy. Jeremy Heere._ _

___“H-hi, I’m Jeremy. Jeremy, H-Heere.” He waved his hand and stared at the ground. Michael saw the freckles dotting his cheeks, and the way he fidgeted.  
“Jeremiah, don’t stutter.” His mother, her name was Jane, tapped him lightly on the shoulder, but began talking with Ina.  
“I-I can’t help it.” Jeremy whimpered softly, making Michael take his arm and smile.  
“It’s okay! I stutter too sometimes, when I’m nervous.” Michael grinned, and Jeremy looked up to reveal two amber eyes, wide and startled. His dad, Paul, started talking with the parents too. “Are you nervous?”  
Jeremy looked down again. “Y-yeah.”  
“Why are you nervous?” Michael asked, confused. “I’m Michael Mell. The kid who wrote the note!”  
“I know.” Jeremy looked up again, and scratched an itch on his arm. “I don’t like meeting new kids. I get really nervous. Some kids make fun of me.”  
Michael was quiet for a few seconds.  
“Me too, but don’t worry! We can be friends!”  
Jeremy stared at him.  
“Really?”  
“Yeah! Where did you move from?”  
“New York.”  
“That’s so cool! I’ve always wanted to go there!”  
Jeremy, for the first time, smiled.  
“Maybe we can go sometime.” _____

____Michael and Jeremy played upstairs, in Michael’s room, for the rest of the time. They played with cars and scribbled on blank sheets on paper. When their parents finally came upstairs, the boys were fast asleep, arms draped all over each other, dinosaurs and crayons in hand._ _ _ _

_____Jeremy lifted his hand from the paper. “Michael, can I tell you something?”  
“Sure, Jeremy!” Michael smiled as he finished his drawing, a house with him and his two moms.  
“Sometimes my mom is mean.” Jeremy dropped his crayon.  
Michael blinked once. Then again. “Mean?” He asked, uncertain.  
“Yeah.” Jeremy tapped his fingers against the carpet. “Sometimes she yells at me, and then my dad yells at her for yelling at me.”  
“Why does she yell at you?”  
Michael didn’t think he said anything wrong until he heard Jeremy sniffle.  
“Because I do things ‘wrong’, even though I can’t help it.” Jeremy rubbed his eyes. “I have this thing called ‘ADHD’, which means I move a lot, and my mom yells at me for it.”  
Michael was silent. “Why don’t you tell her she’s hurting your feelings?”  
“I tried.” Jeremy wiped his eyes again. “She just told me it’s what I deserve.” His legs kicked the air for a bit.  
“You don’t deserve that, Jeremy.” Michael paused. “How about I draw you a picture?”  
Jeremy perked up. “A picture?”  
“Yeah! So whenever you’re sad, you can look at it, and be reminded of me.” Michael grabbed another piece of paper. “What’s your favorite color?”  
“Blue.” Jeremy smiled. “Like my house.”  
“Mine is red.” Michael giggling. “Not like my house.”  
Jeremy laughed softly as he kept working on his drawing.  
“What are you drawing?” Michael asked, curious, as he began to draw himself.  
“A good place.” Jeremy said, taking the green. “A place where my mom doesn’t yell at me, and I get all the chocolate I want.”  
“That’s nice.”  
“Someday I want to go to this place, Michael.” Jeremy tapped the paper.  
Michael tilted his head up and looked at Jeremy.  
“Can I come too?”  
Jeremy laughed. A real, genuine laugh. He looked Michael in the eyes.  
“Of course.” _____ _ _

______The next day, Michael found a letter from Jeremy residing in his mailbox.  
_Dear Michael Mell,  
Thank you for having me over last night. It was really fun. The picture you drew me is hanging up on our fridge. I hope we can do it again. _  
Michael smiled and went to grab a piece of lined paper.  
Thus, the tradition of letters begun.___ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Michael got home from school, holding his new glasses in one hand and wiping his eyes with the other. His moms asked what was wrong. He didn’t reply, only went up to his room with slow, sad steps.  
Someone had pushed Jeremy off the playground, causing him to fall and sprain his arm. It was a girl, taller than the both of them, with brown hair that faded into yellow, a pink shirt, black leggings, and a sparkly purple headband. Based on how her friends, a taller boy and a blonde girl, reacted, her name was Chloe. Chloe Valentine._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________“Michael! Get up here!” Jeremy yelled, waving his arms, from atop the playground structure. His brown hair fell over his face, and he messily swept it aside.  
“One second!” Michael cried impatiently, working on tying his shoe as quick as he could. His fingers fumbled, he kept messing up, and he whispered one of those words his moms’ would say when it was a bad day.  
Once he was finally done, once his black shoelaces were tied up in a neat little bow, he tilted his head up to see a girl standing in front of Jeremy. He didn’t recognize her. Behind her were two people: a tall dark-skinned boy in a mint green t-shirt, and a blonde girl in a yellow cardigan.  
He tried to call out, to say something to his friend, but he could only whimper as the girl slowly backed Jeremy to the edge of the set, the edges of his sneakers hanging over the side. She said something.  
“I don’t want to play with you, loser.” She scoffed. He heard Jeremy try to apologize, something he always did when it wasn’t his fault.  
“I-I-I’m-“  
“Oh look, he’s stuttering like a baby.” The girl un-crossed her arms. The blonde girl tapped her on the shoulder.  
“C-Chloe, we really shouldn’t-“  
“Shut up, Brooke.” Chloe snapped before giving the tall boy a smirk.  
Michael watched as she took her arms and pushed Jeremy off the playground harder than he thought possible. He saw Jeremy fly, and he thought time froze for that mere second.  
And then Jeremy was on the ground, and he was screaming and crying.  
“Jeremy!” Michael finally found himself able to speak as he ran to the boys’ side. “Jeremy!”  
He heard Chloe comment. “Wow, the loser has a friend.”  
“M-Michael.” Jeremy opened his eyes a bit. “I-“  
“Yeah?”  
“My arm h-hurts.”  
The teacher came running over, her blond hair in its messy ponytail flying like a rescue flag. “What happened?”  
Michael pointed to Chloe’s posse. “She-She pushed Jeremy!” He cried, tears beginning to flow down his face. The teacher spoke in a walkie-talkie before turning to them.  
“Jeremy?” She asked, crouching down. “Are you okay?”  
“My arm hurts.” Jeremy coughed out, holding his left arm. It didn’t look broken.  
Another teacher rushed on scene with a wheelchair. “Michael, go with Jeremy.” Their teacher said. “Chloe, Brooke, Jake, come with me.”  
Jeremy had a sprained arm. He got a sling, and was advised to use his left arm as little as possible, which was fine, since he wrote with his right. Michael assigned himself as Jeremy’s helper; carrying his lunchbox, his folder, everything.  
At the end of the day, Brooke gave Michael and Jeremy a lollipop each.  
“I’m so sorry for what happened.” She said, lip trembling. “I told her to stop. If you need anything, just-“  
“Thanks for the offer, Brooke.” Jeremy quickly walked away, leaving Michael and Brooke to stare at him, then each other, before Michael trailed behind his friend. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Michael grabbed a lined piece of paper and a red pen. It had somewhat become their method of communication. Jeremy’s mom never really let Jeremy come over, or vice versa. Of course, he was in 2nd grade now, so he didn’t need his moms’ to write the note for him.  
_Hey, Jeremy!  
I hope you are okay. Chloe was really mean. Brooke said sorry, and I do not think she is that bad. Jake did not say anything to me. I saw this girl watching us. She had a jean jacket and a red dress. Maybe you know her?  
If you need help with stuff, I am heere.  
~ Michael Mell _  
He didn’t know why he had to include his last name, but he did anyway. Also, he was still trying to understand contractions. Also, that pun was completely necessary.  
Michael walked to Jeremy’s house, as usual, slipped the letter in, and walked home. The next day was a Saturday.  
When the morning arrived, Michael went outside to grab some chalk he had left the previous day outside (thankfully it wasn't raining), to see Jeremy slipping his letter into the mailbox. He saw him struggle, balancing on his toes as he pushed the paper in with his right hand.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________“Hey Jer!” Michael called out, running towards the boy, who stopped and fell to his feet.  
“Hi, Michael.” Jeremy held out the letter. “I have a letter.”  
Michael took it, but kept his eyes on Jeremy. “Did you read my letter from yesterday?”  
Jeremy nodded and pointed to the paper in Michael’s hand. “That’s my response. But don’t read it in front of me.”  
“Why not?”  
“Because it’s weird if you do.” Jeremy looked behind him. “I should get home. My mom’s gonna look for me.” He began to walk. Michael grabbed him by the back of his shirt.  
“Is she going to yell at you?”  
Jeremy turned around. “Maybe. If I don’t get home.” He waved a bit. “See you soon, Mikey.”  
Michael watched until Jeremy turned the curb and could be seen no more. He opened the letter.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________Dear Michael,  
Thanks for making sure I was okay. When I got home, my dad hugged me, and my mom yelled at me. She said it was my fault I got pushed. Is it?  
Also, I agree. Brooke is fine. I really liked the lollipop she gave me. I think I was mad about Chloe. And I do not know that girl with the jean jacket. I wonder why she was watching.  
My mom is leaving on a business trip tomorrow. My dad says it is okay if you sleep over. We can watch movies and stay up until 10! You should come over at 12 pm. Ask your moms.  
~ Jeremy ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Michael couldn’t hide his excitement. He ran downstairs and showed off the letter to his moms, his eyes widening as they read through it. They nodded and stated it was okay, but Michael could see they were concerned about Jeremy’s mom. He pushed it into a deep corner of his head, telling himself it was nothing to be worried about. He was going to have a sleepover with Jeremy!  
He went to bed happy, pulling the covers tightly to him, dreaming about the day he was going to have._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________“Hi, Mr. Heere!” Michael smiled as he walked inside, taking in Jeremy’s house. It was organized, except for a few legos here and there, scattered onto the ground. He saw his picture on the fridge, still hanging proudly above the certificate Jeremy had gotten for best grade on the spelling test.  
“Hello, Michael. Would you boys be okay with sleeping in Jeremy’s room?” Mr. Heere smiled as Michael nodded happily, and Jeremy shrugged. “Alright then.” He went to talk to Michael’s moms.  
“Where is your mom going?” Michael asked Jeremy, holding his favorite stuffed toy.  
“California.”  
Michael gaped. “That’s so far away!”  
“I know.” Jeremy sighed. “She’ll be gone until Wednesday.”  
“That’s a long time to go without a mom.”  
“You have two.” Jeremy pointed out, and Michael nodded in understanding.  
“By the way, it’s not your fault you got pushed.” Michael paused. “It was Chloe’s problem.”  
Jeremy nodded. “I know. I don’t know w-why my mom thinks that.” He turned to his dad, who was talking with Ina. She was glancing at them and had a serious expression on her face. Mr. Heere was nodding and sighing a lot.  
Michael could tell Jeremy was sad. He could tell Jeremy knew it was about his mom.  
He wanted to distract him.  
Michael clicked his tongue. “Can we draw?”  
“Of course!” Jeremy grinned. “Let’s go upstairs.” _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________It was raining when Michael heard the doorbell ring. He got off the couch, putting his book down, and opened the door. His mom’s were doing errands.  
He saw Jeremy, drenched in rain. His face was covered in raindrops. Or teardrops. He couldn’t tell._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“Jer?” Michael quickly dragged his friend inside, and grabbed a towel to dry him off. “W-what’s wrong?”  
Jeremy said nothing. He only pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, relatively unharmed except for one or two raindrops and the crinkles.  
Michael took it, hands shaking. He adjusted his glasses.  
"W-why didn't you just drop it off in the mailbox?" Michael asked, looking at his friend in the eye. "You could have gotten sick."  
Jeremy nodded. "I know."  
"Well, then…"  
"I just thought you really needed to read it." Jeremy wiped his glasses and stared at Michael. "Go ahead."  
Hands trembling, Michael opened the letter and read.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________Dear Michael,  
Hey. So. My mom and dad had a huge argument. And she left. I didn't know when to tell you, considering we're on April break (speaking of which, the assignment Ms. Hsu gave me is wicked hard. is 6th grade gonna be this difficult?).  
So, yeah. I hope you had a good day.  
~ Jeremy_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________Michael lowered the paper to look Jeremy in the eye, hands shaking. Jere took that as his cue to leave._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________"Jeremy." Michael's voice shook.  
"Mm?" Jeremy turned towards Michael, tears already starting to fall.  
Michael stepped forward and, despite the rain coating his best friend everywhere you could imagine, he hugged him. He rubbed the wet t-shirt his friend was wearing, and ran a hand through his hair.  
“It’s going to be okay.” Michael breathed, taking in the smell of Jeremy’s hair. It smelled like roses. “It’s going to be okay, Jer.” He pulled away, still holding the letter in one hand while clutching Jeremy’s right arm with the other.  
“I don’t know, Micah.” Jeremy ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know.”  
“Don’t know what?”  
“If I’m happy or sad she’s gone.” Jeremy sniffled. “My dad’s not happy. He cried. And he’s not wearing pants anymore.”  
“You can be both.” Michael shrugged. “Maybe you’re sad your mom is gone, but happy the yelling can stop.”  
Jeremy smiled. “Sure.”  
Michael looked at the letter again. “You never like it when I read letters in front of you. Why didn’t you just...tell me?”  
Jeremy shrugged. “Writings’ easier.” He stated, wrapping himself in the striped towel. “It’s better than talking. I don’t s-stutter. And I can say so much more.”  
It made sense.  
Michael walked Jeremy inside the kitchen. “Do you want some soup?”  
“Y-Yeah. That’d be great.” Jeremy sat at the table. “Thanks, Michael.” ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Jeremy spent time at Michael’s house so much more after the incident. He got his glasses, and they switched them for a day at school to see how they would do (results: not good).  
A lot of time passed, and the boys began to write letters and physically give them to each other instead of leaving them in the mailbox. Michael found himself agreeing with Jeremy’s logic. It was easier to write than to say.  
Maybe that’s why he found himself at his desk, tapping his pencil nervously._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Michael sat at his desk, tapping his pencil against the wooden desk he and his moms had bought from Ikea last year, at the beginning of 7th grade. He grabbed a lined piece of paper and stared at it for a few seconds.  
He had about 15 minutes before the doorbell would ring and Jeremy would come upstairs and they would do whatever until dinner. 15 minutes to write this...speech. This thing from every romance movie in existence.  
The love letter the girl would give, or recite, to the guy. Or vice versa. They fall in love, roll credits.  
Except...this time it was a guy to guy thing.  
Michael took a deep breath and started writing in his decent handwriting._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Dear Jeremiah Heere,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________What was this, Shakespeare?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Dear Jeremy,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Too formal. Jeremy was his best (and only) friend, he didn't need to phrase it like this._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Hey._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Nevermind._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Dear Jeremy,  
Hey.  
You're probably wondering why you have this in your hands right now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Okay. Good. Good._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The thing is, I'm kinda in love with yo_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Michael stopped and cringed. Too direct. Should he have build up? Or just get straight to the point? Well, he always hated when in movies they stall, so…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The thing is, I have a crush on you._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He could already imagine Jeremy staring at him, letter in hand, mouth slightly open. His eyes would widen, his hands would tighten their grip, and…  
He didn't want to think about the aftermath._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________You might be asking how, because I know you never thought highly of yourself, but I think it's important you should know I like you for yourself. Your jokes. Personality. And your insanely bad video game skills._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Also his face, dotted with freckles. And hair. And how, early in the morning and after playing video games for 3 hours, his glasses are crooked on his face, always leaning to his right.  
And maybe he was a little entertained by when they went swimming and Jeremy finally made the decision to do so without a shirt.  
Fuck.  
Trying to distract himself, he kept going.  
He found himself getting in some sort of flow, writing as if he were speaking._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________So. Yeah. Please don't start treating me weird or whatever. You're a good friend.  
~ Michael._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He stared at the paper, reading it over and over, taking breaths in and out.  
The doorbell rang.  
His eyes snapped forward, his mouth dropped open, and his hands trembled.  
With one of those split-second decisions, the kind where you remember the consequences, but not the actual decision, he stuck the note in his desk drawer, next to a photo of the two on their first day of 5th grade. Jeremy was wearing a NASA t-shirt and holding up a peace sign. Michael was leaning on Jer's shoulder with his arm and smiling proudly.  
He went downstairs to open the door and greet Jeremy. His heart thumped in his chest as he saw him, his brown hair and blue shirt showing off the light in his eyes, reflecting the sun.  
"Hey dude!" Jeremy waved, smiling, hand in his jeans pocket like it was the most natural thing in the world. Sure, they weren't cool in school, but damn.  
God, he was way too fucking cute.  
Michael waved back half-heartedly. "Sup."  
"So, we ready to kick some zombie ass?" Jeremy walked inside and...hugged Michael.  
Like, a full on bear hug.  
He froze before patting Jeremy on the back a few times.  
"Um. Yeah."  
Jeremy pulled away and grinned again, taking off his shoes.  
"So...what are we waiting for?" He ran down the hallway and opened the basement door, and Michael heard him humming as he made his way down with the thump of his feet.  
He wondered if Jeremy had taken his medication today. Probably not.  
As he walked down the hallway, fingers tracing the wall, he thought back to the letter, hiding in his desk drawer.  
Maybe now wasn't the time to present it to Jeremy. Maybe he could wait a little while longer. Who knows? Maybe he could forget all about it by high school.  
Michael walked into the basement, whistling a tune, hands in his pocket.  
Some other time. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________Every now and then, Michael would look at the letter and consider giving it to Jeremy, to get it over with. But he never did.  
One day, Jeremy came over. Once the two were in Michael’s basement, Jeremy wordlessly gave a piece of paper to Michael._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“No special commentary or anything?” Michael joked as he took the letter. “Nothing I should know beforehand?”  
Jeremy shook his head. “I think it says it all.” Michael noted the blush on his cheeks.  
His heart raced. He folded open the paper.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Dear Michael,  
God, this is so stupid. Like, you’re totally gonna make fun of me.  
But you know that girl in our math class? Christine Canigula? Well, she and I were talking in the hallway and…  
I think I like her, Michael. Like, not just as a friend. She’s so nice, and pretty, and happy…  
Hhhhh  
~ Jere_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Michael’s stomach dropped. He lowered the paper. He didn’t know what expression he had, but Jeremy reacted.  
“Shut up!” Jeremy waved a hand, face red.  
“I-I didn’t say anything.” Michael choked out.  
“You imply it!” Jeremy pouted. “I know I have no chance, but…”  
“Shush,” Michael put his hand on Jeremy’s shoulder. “You totally do. Just keep talking, keep being...yourself.”  
Jeremy rolled his eyes. “That’s pretty corny.”  
“It’s true!”  
“Thanks, man.” Jeremy stared him down. “Y’know, you’ve never told me about your crushes.”  
“Hm?” It was Michael’s turn to blush.  
“Like, I’ve told you about everyone.” Jeremy shrugged. “Madeline, Alexa, and now Christine.”  
Michael played dumb. “I don’t have a crush. Never had.”  
“Bullcrap, Micah.”  
Michael straightened his back. “I’m serious, Jeremy.”  
Jeremy stared at him before snapping his fingers. “Is it...Brooke?”  
Michael gasped. “What?! No!”  
“...Chloe?”  
“No!”  
Jeremy wiggled his eyebrows. “Me?”  
Michael swallowed. “No. I don’t have a crush, Jeremy. Stop asking.”  
Jeremy shrugged. “Sure thing, man. If you did, you would tell me, right?”  
“Of...course.” Michael turned towards the TV. “Ready for some Apocalypse of the Damned?” ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________So that hurt.  
Michael forced himself to smile and nudge Jeremy whenever Christine passed them (she rarely talked to Jeremy). The letter in his desk became close to forgotten. They entered highschool and got bullied by Chloe, Brooke and Jake.  
Jeremy came over one day, middle of freshman year. Michael gave him a letter. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Dear Jeremy,  
This is weird. But I think I’m gay.  
Not, like, “happy” gay. Like, “homosexual” gay.  
~ Micah__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Jeremy looked at Michael.  
“Um, I’m really sorry if it’s weird and a-all, but…” Michael tapped the carpet. “I thought you should know.”  
“Do your moms know?”  
“Of course.” Michael smiled. “They were pretty supportive.”  
“That’s good.” Jeremy grinned.  
“So...how do you feel about it...?”  
Jeremy crossed his arms. “Well, that opens up our next crush conversation!”  
“Jer, I swear to god.” Michael rolled his eyes. “We’ve been over this.”  
“Is it Jake?”  
“No!” Michael stuck his tongue out. “He’s a jerk.”  
“Yeah, I agree.” Jeremy thought for a second. “Me?”  
“Do you seriously not know any other boys in our school?”  
“You didn’t answer my question.” Jeremy grinned mischievously.  
“No, I don’t like you.” Michael stated. “Give it up, Heere. I don’t like anyone.”  
Jeremy shrugged. “If you say so.” ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________________Life continued. Junior year, after a particularly hard day (Jeremy signed up for play rehearsal to be with Christine; he got called gay. Ouch.), Jeremy laid on his bed and gave Michael another letter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________“Is this about play rehearsal?” Michael asked, grinning.  
“Sort of.” Jeremy booted up Apocalypse of the Damned. “Just read it.”__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________Dear Micah  
So, you know Rich? Came here sophomore year? Apparently he didn’t, and he just says it because he was a loser when he was a freshman.  
I saw him in the bathroom. And you might think I got my ass kicked, but surprisingly, no. He told me about this cool thing called a SQUIP. It basically makes you popular. It's from Japan, and it's a pill.  
He said he has a hookup at the mall, back of Payless shoes. I need to give him $600 tomorrow. I think we finally have a chance, Michael!!  
~ Jeremy_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________“$600.” Michael stated doubtfully.  
“Yeah, but I swear it’s worth it!” Jeremy was ecstatic. “High school popularity!”  
“Dude, high school means nothing in the future.” Michael shrugged and took his Player 1 controller. “Besides, he’s probably scamming you. He’s scamming you super weirdly.”  
“But what if he isn’t? This could be huge!”  
“Think about it; your high school bully claims he can make you cool with $600.”  
Jeremy thought about it.  
“Shit.”  
“Mhmm.”  
“I’m doomed to be a loser until the end of the world. And probably then too.”  
Michael looked at him. “No you’re not! We’re gonna be cool in college, just you wait.”  
Jeremy tapped his controller, eyes focused on the screen. “Yeah right.”  
“I’m serious!” Game Over. Jeremy groaned.  
“How about we just check it out? We can see if he’s telling the truth at least a little bit. Maybe buy it ourselves.” Jeremy laid his controller on the ground and stood up. “Deal?”  
Michael stood up too. “Deal.” ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________________So Jeremy took the SQUIP in a mall food court. Obviously, it was a scam that didn’t work.  
And Michael ran off to get some Crystal Pepsi. When he came back, he saw the bottle of Mountain Dew, halfway done, but no Jeremy.  
Shit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________“Christine!” Michael saw her walking with Jake. She turned around.  
“Michael?” She blinked. “What’s up?”  
“Do you know where Jeremy went?”  
Jake scoffed. “Yeah, he had a seizure on the floor and began talking to no one.” He pointed towards a clothing store. “He went there, though.”  
Michael looked to see Jeremy talking to Brooke and Chloe.  
“Thanks.”  
He walked in the opposite direction. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________________Once he got home, he pulled out a piece of lined paper and a black pen._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________Dear Jeremy,  
Hey. I saw you inside the mall talking to Brooke and Chloe. Good job talking to girls, man. Even though one of them sprained your arm in 2nd grade.  
Jake told me (yes, I was so worried I talked to Jake Dillinger) you had a seizure? And started talking to no one?  
I hope you're okay.  
~ Michael.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________He walked to Jeremy's house, following the route me knew by heart. He stopped before the light blue house, noticing the light in Jeremy's room was open. So, he rang the doorbell.  
He waited. And waited.  
No one answered the door.  
Michael grit his teeth and looked to Jeremy's room again. The light had turned off.  
He was probably fucking Brooke or Chloe. Or both.  
He stuffed the letter in Jeremy's mailbox and walked home. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________________Michael went to school alone, since Jeremy wasn't picking up his phone. He had another letter in hand. The 8th grade letter. His heart was skipping beats.  
He saw Jeremy, walking down the hallway, head held high. Jeremy stopped and talked to…Rich?  
That's not weird at all.  
Michael shrugged and did whatever he needed to with his locker before walking over to Jeremy.  
_"Jere!" Michael cried, waving the paper over his head, smiling.  
Jeremy looked at him, confused. "Michael?"  
"Yeah! That's me!" Michael walked closer. Jeremy froze before turning away.  
"That's weird, I swear I saw Michael- oh, hey Brooke!" Jeremy waved to the blonde, who smiled back and moved on the bench she was sitting at.  
Michael lowered his arm and stuck the letter in his pocket.  
He put his headphones on.  
He walked to class. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________________________Michael got another chance at the end of the school day. He saw Jeremy wave goodbye to Brooke, and the boy's eyes wandered to him. He held the letter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________"Oh my god, Michael!" Jeremy grinned, walking towards his friend. "I'm so glad to see you!"  
Michael backed away. "So you're saying you haven't been avoiding me all day? I had a...letter and everything."  
"What're you talking about?" Jeremy blinked. "I haven't seen you since...since…" He stood quietly for a bit. Michael tensed his shoulders.  
"Jeremy, why are you standing there all...creepy and stuff?" Michael asked, shaking the slightest bit.  
Jeremy didn't respond. He stood, frozen, looking at the ground.  
"Seriously man!" Michael yelled, causing Jeremy to blink back to conscience. "What's up with you? You've been acting...shady ever since…"  
He froze.  
"Since…"  
The mall. The SQUIP.  
Jeremy looked up before tilting his head back down.  
"Jeremy!" Michael grinned, throwing his hands up. "That's amazing! We gotta test it out! We gotta celebrate! We gotta get stoned in my basement!"  
Jeremy smiled the slightest bit, playing with his sweatshirt zipper. Michael began to walk away before looking back.  
"You coming?" He held out the letter, smiling. Jeremy stared for a few seconds and shook his head.  
"Optic nerve blocking on." Jeremy whispered.  
He walked away. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________________________Michael went home, deflated. He pulled up his computer and began to research SQUIPs. Whatever unholy hell they were.  
He talked with his World of Warcraft friend. He started another letter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________Dear Jeremy.  
I get that you're avoiding me, with the SQUIP and all, but please read this.  
I talked with my World of Warcraft friend. He said his brother took a SQUIP. Went from a D to A student. Dropout to Harvard. Guess where he is now?  
A mental hospital.  
Jeremy, this shit is dangerous. I get you hate me at the time, but...please. Friend to friend. Or ex-friend.  
~ Michael Mell _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________________________He was hoping to slip it in Jeremy's locker, but he caught word of a halloween party at Jake's, so he chose to attend. He hid in the bathroom. Real classy. 2 couples barged in making out, and he had to drive them away. He counted.  
Jeremy finally came running in, sweaty and out of breath. Michael emerged._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________"M-Michael?" Jeremy paused. "What are you doing here? You weren't invited to this party." The way he said it sounded like a taunt of some sort. Michael scoffed.  
"Yeah, that's why I'm wearing this 'clever' disguise." He gestured to his outfit.  
Jeremy sighed. "Oh my god, I'm so happy to see you, man…" He walked in for a hug. As much as Michael wanted it, he drew away.  
"You won't be. When you hear what I have to say." Michael held out the letter. Jeremy looked at it, then him. "I'm surprised you're not ignoring me."  
"Letters? We're still doing those?" Michael's stomach fell, and his arm shook the tiniest bit.  
"Sure. It's better than talking, right? You don't stutter and you can say more." Michael raised an eyebrow. "Sound familiar?"  
Jeremy scoffed. "Yeah, yeah." He took it and stared at Michael again.  
"Before you ask, I sent one more to you. Day you got the SQUIP." Michael sat on the edge of the bathtub. "It was asking if you were okay after the 'seizure' I thought you had. Guess you were."  
Jeremy paused. "I didn't see it."  
"Whatever. Read it." Michael gestured to the paper. Jeremy nodded and obeyed.  
Michael saw his eyes narrow and his mouth open slightly. Once he was done, he stared at Michael.  
"Yes?" Michael crossed his arms.  
Jeremy laughed. "And I thought Chloe was jealous."  
Michael's mouth opened. "W-what? You think I'm...jealous? Dude, this is serious."  
"Look, I get it, I can't drag you around like my fucking puppy all the time, okay?" Jeremy lay the letter on the counter.  
"Jer-"  
"And I don't care what your friend's brother said, okay?" Jeremy wiped his eyes, and Michael was reminded of the same boy who appeared on his doorstep with a letter about his mother in the rain. "As far as I'm concerned, the universe owed me one."  
Michael paused. "Jeremy, think rationally for a second."  
"I am, okay?"  
"What do you think a goddamn super computer from Japan is doing here? At a high school? In New Jersey?!" Michael held his hands out. "Do you want that shit in your brain?"  
Jeremy froze. Michael could see him thinking it over.  
"I'm not gonna go insane because of this thing." Jeremy whispered.  
Michael rolled his eyes. "He didn't go insane because of the SQUIP."  
"Well, there you go-"  
"He went insane trying to get it out!" Michael screeched, hands gripping the tub tightly. Jeremy stared at him, hand shaking, eyes widened.  
"Well, then…" He shrugged. "I have nothing to worry about."  
He began to walk towards the door. Michael stood in his way.  
"Come on man, move it." Jeremy grit his teeth.  
"Or you'll what?" Michael taunted.  
Jeremy took the letter and ripped it up. He threw it in Michael's face.  
"Get out of my way, loser." _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________________________Yeah, that sucked.  
Michael decided to do some more research on this thing. Specifically, how to turn it off.  
And he found it. Mountain Dew Red. He grabbed a pack at Spencer's Gifts, and became ready for the big show.  
A Midsummer Nightmare About Zombies.  
Cool name.  
Michael sat second-to-last row and enjoyed the beginning.  
But he noticed whenever they drank the serum, they got better.  
The play was good.  
Too good.  
Michael grabbed his bottle of Red and ran backstage. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________"Jeremy?" Christine's voice snapped through the area. Michael's eyes widened, and he stopped struggling within Jake's grasp.  
"C-Christine!" Jeremy's grip on the bottle lightened, and his eyes sparkled.  
"Did you see me out there? The audience loved me!" Christine giggled. Michael tried to scream, but Jake covered his mouth.  
"R-really? I mean, of course they did!" Jeremy grinned, turning towards Christine. She walked towards him.  
"I'd like to apologize for what I said earlier." She looked at the ground.  
"What do you mean? I'm the one that should be...sorry." Jeremy's voice faltered as she walked closer.  
"No, silly! You were right! This feeling?" She paused, and Michael saw Jeremy's eyes widen. "It feels...amazing."  
Jeremy screamed.  
Michael's shoulders fell as Christine approached him, her hand tracing his cheek, her eyes wide and friendly.  
Jeremy held onto the bottle.  
"She'll do whatever I want." Jeremy's eyes widened. He snuck a glance at Michael. "Great."  
Michael watched as he leaned in.  
"Drink this." Jeremy said, holding the bottle out.  
She did.  
Christine screamed.  
"Oh god." Jeremy stepped back.  
Jenna, Chloe, and Brooke screamed.  
"Oh god." Jeremy screeched.  
Everyone else followed. Jake released his grip on Michael.  
"Oh god!" Michael stepped towards Jeremy and put his hands on his shoulders.  
"What did I do?!" Jeremy watched as the students began to scream and fall to the floor.  
"You just deactivated the SQUIPs!" Michael yelled as Jeremy began to cry. He collapsed.  
Michael reached for his phone and called 911. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________________________________Michael paced the hospital floor, sneaking glances at his friend, who was still passed out. His chest ached, and he had another letter in his hand._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________Dear Jer,  
I hope you’re okay. Seriously. If you need anything, call me. Or just ask. I’m probably gonna be at the hospital anyway.  
~ Michael. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________________________________Jeremy finally woke up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________________“Jeremy! Holy shit!” Michael ran inside and almost hugged his friend. “You’re awake!”  
He tried to avoid the fact Rich actively hit on him. I mean, not like he minded, but…  
Jeremy looked at his hand. “A letter?”  
Michael nodded and gave him the paper. Jeremy read it.  
“Ha. Good to know. I am feeling better, actually.” He paused. “And I’m sorry.”  
Michael coughed. “Sorry.”  
“For...Halloween.”  
“Apology…to be determined.” Michael looked around the room.  
Jeremy’s dad came in.  
“D-dad!” Jeremy gasped. “You’re wearing pants!”  
“Yep!” Mr. Heere smiled. “And...you’re...grounded!”  
Michael laughed as Jeremy’s face slowly morphed to terror, then happiness.  
“Oh my god, dad…” He grinned. “You’re back!”  
Mr. Heere laughed. “Now, tell me about this Christine...who is she, and why did I have to hear about her from him?” He gestured towards Michael, who waved slowly.  
“U-um…” Jeremy trailed off. Michael smiled.  
“Dude, you have to ask her out. Seriously.” Rich yelled from across the room. “Take it from me!”  
Michael nodded. “Me too.” _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________________________________So they started dating. Michael was right by Jeremy’s side, giving dating advice from someone who hadn’t dated anyone. He also kept a bottle of Mountain Dew Red with him, if the worst were ever to happen.  
The two continued to write letters, play video games, and all that jazz. Everything felt as close to normal as it could. They beat Apocalypse of the Damned. They got slushies (Christine liked Mango). They avoided Mountain Dew and Payless shoes like the plague.  
One day, Jeremy handed Michael a letter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________________“Christine helped me write it.” He said softly, letting it fall from his hand into Michael’s.  
“By ‘helped’, what am I supposed to expect?” Michael asked, raising an eyebrow.  
Jeremy laughed. “Just read it.”  
Michael shrugged and opened the letter. A part of him expected a marriage invitation. But not this.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________________Dear Michael Mell,  
Hey! So, Christine and I broke up.  
You may be wondering why I seem so happy about this, so let’s just say Christine and I both realized we would be way better as friends. She can still tag along our slushie runs! Also, she admitted she’s never played Minecraft. We need to hook her up.  
Jenna actually agreed not to tell the whole planet, Chloe and Brooke are okay with it and are super supportive (they said we can go to Pinkberry sometime!), Jake said there were ‘plenty more fish in the sea’, Rich wished me luck, and Dad told me to keep trying. You’re kinda the last person I’ve told. Please don’t get mad.  
Anyway, I came to some sort of realization.  
I think I’m bi? Sorta? I don’t know. Girls are cute and guys are cute. So.  
Yeah.  
~ Jeremy Heere_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________________“Wow, long letter.” Michael said, to ignore his heart racing.  
“Yeah.” Jeremy shrugged. “Got a lot to say. What do you think?”  
“About you being bi or Christine?” Michael leaned back in his beanbag chair.  
“Both, I guess.” Jeremy nodded. “You’re the first person I’ve told about that.”  
Michael clicked his tongue. “Well, I’m glad you and Chris can stay friends. That’s pretty good. Kinda like Chloe and Jake.”  
“Pretty sure they’re back together again.”  
“Point proven. And about being bi…” Michael stared at his friend. “Buddy. I’m gay. No judgement here.”  
Jeremy laughed. “Thanks, man.”  
Michael thought back to the letter, laying on his desk, scribbles and all. He stared into space.  
“Dude, you good?”  
“Yeah, yeah, just…” Michael stood up. “I just need to get something. Hold on.”  
He ran upstairs and read it. Again. And again. He put himself in the shoes of that 8th grade boy who really loved his best friend. Then he walked into the basement slowly.  
“A letter?” Jeremy looked in interest.  
“Yeah. From a while back.” Michael nodded and handed him the paper.  
Jeremy read it. Then he read it again. Then again. He looked up.  
“8th grade?” He spoke quietly, hands trembling.  
Michael nodded. “Sorry.”  
Jeremy grinned. “For what?”  
Michael froze. “W-what?”  
Jeremy was silent. He leaned forward and put his hand on Michael’s shoulder. The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Jer was the one to break the deafening silence.  
“Michael, how do you think I realized I was bi?” ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________________________________“New York!” Jeremy cheered, pumping his fist into the air as he saw the sign. He nudged Michael with his shoulder.  
“Hh?” Michael blinked once, then twice, slowly lifting his head off his friends (sorry, boyfriends’) shoulder.  
“We’re here, idiots!” Rich called from the front seat. Jake chuckled as he switched lanes.  
“Thank you so much for bringing us.” Michael coughed and rubbed his eyes.  
“Don’t worry, dude!” Jake made eye contact with Michael through the rear view mirror. “Our treat. Consider it a boys weekend, and a first date!”  
Jeremy screeched. “Jake!”  
Rich laughed. “Deal with it, tall-ass. Michael, I wish you luck with that one.” Rich gestured to Jeremy.  
Michael rolled his eyes. “Sure thing, Rich.”  
Their car slowly made its way to the parking garage, and the four boys emerged, talking.  
“Must say, Heere, what made you choose New York City as a first date? You have class, I must say.” Jake laughed. “My first date with Chloe was a pizza place that closed 2 years later.”  
“Well, you were in 7th grade.” Jeremy shrugged. “Also, it was a promise I made a while ago.”  
Michael squinted. “When?”  
Jeremy laughed. “When I moved here? The letter?”  
His eyes widened. “Oh!”  
“The letter?” Rich snorted. “That sounds weird.”  
Before Jeremy could explain, Michael intervened. “Yeah, it kinda is.”  
They walked for a bit, talking about being seniors, until they reached the theatre for The Book of Mormon.  
“Cya guys!” Jeremy waved, grinning, and Jake and Rich made their way into the theater.  
“Stay safe!” Rich cried out as he walked inside, causing Michael to blush and Jeremy to gasp a bit. They walked through the streets in silence.  
“It’s really beautiful outside.” Michael stated.  
“Yeah.” Jeremy sighed.  
“You know what else is beautiful?” Michael turned towards Jeremy, who grinned.  
“I’m not gonna satisfy your craving for cliche romance moments, Mell.”  
“Fine then.” Michael shrugged. He looked around before glaring at his phone. “Where the fuck is the Richard Rodgers theatre?”  
Jeremy rolled his eyes before sighing. “Hey, remember when I moved here?”  
“Like it was yesterday.”  
“You’re trying too hard.” Jeremy giggled. “But, seriously, do you?”  
“Of course.”  
“And you remember that drawing you made, right?” Jeremy fidgeted.  
“Yeah, the one I gave to you.” Michael shrugged. “What about it?”  
“Throughout the whole SQUIP thing,” Jeremy shuddered at the word. “It was still there. I never took it down. Dad never took it down. It was like you intended, a reminder of yourself.” He looked at Michael. “Except, obviously not in the way you thought.”  
Michael smiled. “That’s great. Really.”  
“And…” Jeremy reached for Michael’s hand and held on tight. “You remember our conversation?”  
“...will you get pissed if I say no?”  
“I mean, not really.” Jermey laughed. “It’s a shocker I remember it.” Michael looked into the distance to see the bright lights and the familiar Hamilton logo approaching.  
“Remind me.”  
“I said I drew a happy place. A good place.” Jeremy inhaled. Exhaled. His hand shook. Michael squeezed it. “A place where I was, well, happy.”  
“Yeah?” Michael tapped his free hand against his jeans.  
“And then you asked if you could come.” Jeremy smiled. “I remember seeing you, wide eyed and curious, messy hair and crayon in hand.”  
“And then I said ‘of course’, because you were my only friend there.”  
“You were also...my only friend.” Michael laughed, blushing a bit.  
“Well, the thing is…”  
They paused before the entrance. Michael held their tickets. Jeremy faced him. His eyes glew in the light.  
“I think I entered that place the moment I met you.”  
Jeremy’s eyes closed, he leaned in, and Michael had the best 10 seconds of his life._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading my trash. go recycle and help the planet.


End file.
